Back to The Cramps again today.
This weekend's cinematic viewing list consisted of two very different films. First of all the Korean film THE MAN FROM NOWHERE - a very dark film about drugs, child slavery and heartless criminal gangs, with lots of violence and gore flying about. But there was also a little girl who gave the film a wee bit of heart and humour. I enjoyed it even though I spent several scenes covering my eyes. The second film was Iranian film A SEPARATION - a film about relationships of all sorts in which what you don't see is just as important as what you do. An emotionally powerful film that I absolutely loved.
Ian Rankin takes Alan Yentob to the Oxford Bar and calls for tax incentives to help new authors. And this weekend Ian will be at the Brighton and Hove Albion First Fiction Book Festival.
A review of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, Norm at Crime Scraps loves Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT, The Morning Star recommends Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES, and Lambda Literary reviews Val McDermid's TRICK OF THE DARK.
Christopher Brookmyre and Louise Welsh at the Margins Book and Music Festival on February 24th. And Allan Guthrie at the University of Strathclyde on January 30th (see you there if you're going along).
Den of Geek (what a great name) with the top 10 portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. I thought the third episode of the new series was totally brilliant. I have no idea how the ending happened (she says vaguely) but I loved it. And the series has boosted sales of the original Holmes books. Excellent.
Margot Kinberg puts the spotlight on Denise Mina's GARNETHILL.
The film of Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY gets its premiere in February.
Finally, a break in my university essay schedule and I am able to read proper books again - lovely, lovely crime fiction books. I've missed you so. I have just started Donald Ray Pollock's THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, which is shaping up brilliantly so far. This will be followed by THE ADJUSTMENT by the brilliant Scott Phillips and some lesbian pulp from the wonderful Christa Faust with BUTCH FATALE; DYKE DICK — DOUBLE-D DOUBLE CROSS. Life is good.
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Donna - Thanks so much for linking up with my blog post :-). And I'm so glad you liked The Separation. I'd heard that was a good one. And good on you to take some time to read. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMargot - it was excellent, and thanks!
DeleteWhat a wonderful review of Garnethill, what a book that was. And the trilogy, with this book as the first, is a perfect trilogy-and there are hardly any of those. I've read all her work other than the graphic ones, and love her masterful portrayal of Glasgow, she does it so very well, takes me there. Just looked at my book list, I read Garnethill first in January 2002, 10 years ago--and it's still in my brain--so maybe it's time to re-read it. I do that with books I've loved, go back later and revisit ones I've loved, so 10 years is about right, going to look it up and re-read.
ReplyDeleteDonna, you will surely enjoy the Donald Ray Pollock book, I sure did! Quirky but in no way cute, rural noir, a bit creepy but so well done! Glad you have some reading time!
Bobbie
Bobbie - whenever I post about Denise Mina, I always think of you, because I know what a fan of her writing you are :o). And I have just finished the Pollock and absolutely loved it.
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